Housing report finds surge in number of children living in B&Bs

National Housing Federation says number of homeless children and pregnant women living in bed and breakfasts has risen 60%

Council-run housing in Lambeth, London. The federation warns that rising rents, insecure private tenancies and a lack of affordable housing has led to a sharp increase in homelessness. Photograph: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

The number of homeless children and pregnant women living in bed and breakfasts has jumped by 60% in a year, according to a report.

Homeless Bound, by the National Housing Federation, also says more than a third of families with children living in B&Bs had been there longer than the government's six-week limit, a 200% increase in two years.

Local authorities are supposed to use hotels and hostels as a temporary measure. Rooms are often extremely basic. Those placed in such accommodation have no cooking facilities, and usually share bathrooms with other families.

The federation warns that a "perfect storm" of rising rents, insecure private tenancies and a lack of affordable housing has led to a sharp increase in homelessness, with many low-income families now facing "the very real prospect of being homeless".

The report says rough sleeping is increasingly becoming a fixture in parts of the country. The most recent statistics show a 23% increase nationally between autumn 2010 and 2011, with a 7.5% increase in London, a 17% increase in the east, and a 39% increase in the south-east.

However, the report says charities' databases, such as the Combined Homeless and Information Network (Chain) in London, suggest the numbers are in fact much higher. Chain reported that 5,678 rough sleepers were seen by outreach workers in London in 2011/12, an increase of 43% compared with the previous year.

The federation says many councils are exporting their homeless people, unable to cope with such numbers. In a federation survey, 58% of local authorities said they had placed rough sleepers in temporary accommodation outside of their own council district.

Local authorities were extremely worried about those currently housed in the private sector facing deep cuts in benefits.

David Orr, chief executive of the federation, which represents England's housing associations, said: "With increasing rents, insecure short-term rental tenancies and a recession which is leaving people really struggling, we have a perfect storm – and it means families who never dreamed of being homeless could end up on the streets. They are the new face of England's homeless.

"Local authorities' new powers to move homeless families waiting for social housing straight into the private rented sector may cut the numbers living in temporary accommodation. But renting privately is still unaffordable – as the 86% rise in working families claiming housing benefit shows.

"And with private landlords increasingly unwilling to house homeless families, we could see a revolving-door effect where people who can't afford their rent simply become homeless again."

The Department for Communities and Local Government said: "This country has one of the strongest homelessness safety nets in the world, and the long-term use of B&Bs is both unacceptable and avoidable. The law is clear that B&Bs are an emergency option that should not be used for more than six weeks, and the number of families in B&B accommodation is two-thirds lower than its peak in 2002.

"To reduce time spent in temporary accommodation we have changed the law so councils can house families in affordable, quality, privately rented homes. But there is always more that can be done to support those at risk of homelessness. That's why we have invested £470m in homelessness prevention over four years. And for those who still fall through the cracks, we have invested a further £3.5m ensure no one spends a second night out on the streets."